Smart Plant Instrumentation (SPI) also known as INtools is a the leading software in Instrumentation management, control valve and orifice plate sizing, instrumentation data sheet, Programmable Logic Controller (PLC) wiring, PLC-DCS I/O assignment, and many more. This was a very challenging and unique project at the same time, because although this was the leading Instrumentation and control software in the industry, there was no comprehensive training solution for it out there. I found it very difficult when I was trying to learn this software years ago, and therefore, decided to take up this challenge and produce a comprehensive training course for everyone who wants to learn. Today, my course is one of the most repeatable and highly rated training resources in in the world and has been directly used by more than 1500 professionals and companies in Automation, Electrical , Instrumentation and Process engineering. You can see the introduction below.

Goal of the Project:

Produce the only comprehensive engineering training on Smart Plant Instrumentation (INtools) in the world that will address all the industry needs at a professional level and also be accessible for anyone in the world to access.

Challenges :

No prior research or resource available

Very complex engineering software with limited resources

Requires interconnected and well designed database & PID

Achievements :

Produced the most comprehensive training resource on SPI

Offered Consulting & Training services in 146 counties

Produced over 200k in sales for the company over 2 years

Smart Plant Instrumentation Project Development

Being a challenging project with this magnitude, I knew from the beginning that team work will play a crucial role in the success of the project. My colleague Payman and I hold a brain storming session to identify the requirements of a comprehensive training course on Smart Plant Instrumentation to make sure the final project would be a complete success and it would be something that both of us will be proud for the years to come.

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Brainstorming, Project Scheduling, and Administration Setup

At this stage, my colleague and I drafted the main chapters of the training including but not limited to installation, database setup, queries, installing modules, completing administrative activities before jumping on the engineering, calculations and wiring modules.

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Preparing SQL Databases, P&IDs, Project Documentations

We prepared the Piping and instrumentation Diagrams that contains the control loops, instruments, control strategies etc to make sure a full cycle project with Smart Plant Instrumentation is possible.

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Producing Instrumentation Engineering Calculations for Reference

I used SPI to handle of the most important engineering activities in control and instrumentation field, instrument sizing. In this course, I used SPI INtools to size a differential pressure transmitter, a control valve, a safety valve and a thermometer - thermowell.

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Wiring in PLC, DCS & Marshaling Cabinets

At this stage I followed on the instrumentation wiring and instrumentation profiles by connecting the instruments from junction boxes to PLCs and marshaling cabinets.

Conclusion

This was definitely a very challenging and time consuming project but I had the determination to produce a training course which is easy to follow and yet cover all the requirements of Smart Plant Instrumentation software suite. I took the opportunity to add many of the engineering experiences I encountered in my work specially in instrumentation and control fields are transferred to the training. As of today, thousands of engineers and professionals have accessed the course and I had the great opportunity to connect with brilliant engineers along the way. Below is a short summary of some of the engineers and their experiences about the training. Please click to enlarge the reviews.